Ted’s RV & Trailer Repair Ltd. has been specializing in RV repair services in Thunder Bay since 2016.
Repairs, parts, installation, preventative maintenance and storage for motor homes, travel trailers, 5th wheels, campers, tent trailers, utility trailers, horse trailers and boat trailers are all done by RV technicians at Ted’s RV.
Ted Caren and Karen Caren own Ted’s RV, a small family run business.
Recreational Vehicles are very popular in Thunder Bay’s community, and having trained technicians that know what they're doing to make sure everything is safe for the user is essential.
“We have such a short camping season in Thunder Bay, we have to ensure that everything's running top notch and people can enjoy their short camping season,” Karen said.
Ted and Karen focus on creating a customer-oriented environment and have nearly 50 five-star reviews on google.
June 2 to 6 marks RV technician week, a week that not only celebrates the hard work and dedication of RV technicians but also raises awareness that certain training needs to come back for the trade.
Ted began his journey as an apprentice back in 2002.
“At that point in time, Ontario was in the process of trying to bring forward the RV tech licensing,” he said.
As an electrician, plumber or an automotive mechanic, you need an actual license to perform those duties, as an RV tech you don't. Ontario doesn't require a license.
Back in 2002, officials were trying to bring that forward because there's so much involved as an RV tech.
Ted was fortunate to get into the school, Georgian College, just outside of Barrie.
“That gave me the education portion of it, I'm Red Seal certified, which, last I checked there was only 26 of us in Ontario that are Red Seal certified RV technicians.”
The Red Seal License provides Ted with an interprovincial license, where he can work anywhere in Canada.
Unfortunately, now the only thing you're required to have as an RV technician is a propane certificate.
It's a little bit backwards in Ted’s mind, because RV techs are electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, HVAC, appliance repair, chassis mechanics and carpenters. “We do everything, so that's what we're trying to promote for RV week.”
RV tech week is to get the awareness out there that the training does need to come back.
Ted worked at dealerships around Thunder Bay, but in 2016 he decided that he didn't like the dealership aspect of it, that they were more geared towards sales than service.
“I found there was a little niche, something that was required in Thunder Bay, so I opened up a shop in 2016, by myself. I worked a full year by myself and then I hired my first employee in 2017.”
In 2018, Ted’s RV moved to a larger facility and then in 2020, it expanded again to a 9,000 square foot shop.
“We do everything from running gear to rooftop on RVs, repair every aspect of them, other than the engines and the transmission chassis work on motor homes."
“We do all the bearings and brakes and everything on them, and then everything from appliance repairs, electrical repairs, gas fitting, carpentry work, full restorations, complete rot roof repairs, slide out repairs, we do everything here in house."
This trade kind of gets forgotten about, but for one thing that attracted Ted to it was the fact the work is inside a facility all the time in a in a climate-controlled shop.
“There's nothing overly strenuous; there's nothing overly dirty so attracting young people into this trade is something that we have to bring in. All of us are getting a little bit older that are in the trade, especially in Thunder Bay."
There's not a lot of young and up and comers in the city, although Ted was fortunate to find one.
“If the Ontario government would make this a mandatory trade, then you would see wages increased, you would see people more excited to come into the trade because they would get a license out of it."
For more information on Ted’s RV visit the website, and to learn about RV Tech Week click this link.
